b Cheri LeBlanc, MD: April 2009

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Healing Hands goes International

Just wanted to update everyone regarding our upcoming missions trip to Honduras.  We have partnered with Healing Hands International Ministries in Honduras!  We are excited about the opportunity to show the love of Christ in the Northern Mountains of Honduras.  

We have an official blog for this event and all postings regarding this trip will be there.  The site is http://hpchonduras.wordpress.com.  

All for His Glory,
Joseph LeBlanc

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Hope


Children's Cup founder, Dave Ohlerking, has a wonderful saying, "Hope has a name, and His name is Jesus." Sad to say that the majority of people in this world have never heard that, or don't understand what it means.

Although hope has only one name, it has many shapes, sizes and faces. We know that hope is given in churches all across the world that preach the Good News. But so many more people are outside the church walls, not wanting to come in for a variety of reasons. So hope may look a little different. To someone so depressed that they think no one even notices them, a simple smile from a total stranger could stop them from putting that knife blade to their wrist. Hope can be a plate of food when your stomach is growling so loud that you can't concentrate. In Baton Rouge, hope is often a cold bottle of water on a hot day when you are stuck in traffic, given with no strings attached by a servant from that church that causes traffic-jams on Sunday mornings. (HPC in case you didn't know!) 

We have all received hope in many different forms, and freely we are given, so we can freely give. The hope that we are honored to share with people comes covered in bright orange and blue; and it has wheels!
I worked organizing in our medical and dental units today. As I walked around I felt the need to take pictures of them, I have hundreds, but I felt the need to take more today. And as I walked around them and between them I kept hearing the word "hope". Although we treat colds, give out medication to bring down blood pressure, we pull teeth that are broken and hurting, I felt the whisper in my heart, "You are bringing hope to people who either never knew Me, or the troubles of life have forced Me into a corner of their mind." We are not only bringing them hope in this tangible way, but we are explaining to them who Hope is. We do this by praying with each patient, one-on-one with a mature Christian who can point the way to Jesus, from where they are.

I would love to hear how you are spreading Hope to the hurting around you. 

Blessings,
Cheri

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

From one dream to another

This past Saturday Healing Hands was blessed to be a part of two outreaches at two different Dream Centers.  In the morning we were at the Healing Place Church in Donaldsonville.  And, by the afternoon, we were in the Big Easy off of St. Charles Ave at the Church of the King Dream Center.  

In D'Ville, as we like to call it, our lead nurse Cathy Talley worked with the patients in a new program called "chair exercises".  The patients loved it and the love we show them brings down the walls.  As we pray with them asking Christ into their hearts they know we care because of the many ways we touch them.  I am reminded of a scripture in James whereby James asks, "show me your faith and I will show you my works."  Works implying many and various.  Thanks Cathy for loving the poor in D'ville!


We finished in D'Ville and were off to the Big Easy for 11:30 am for a scheduled outreach at 1pm.  Upon arriving we were greeted by the friendly smiles and hugs of the volunteers from Church of the King.  We prayed together before seeing 36 homeless and poor of the downtown river area of New Orleans.   We prayed with all of the patients except for 3 who declined prayer. We prayed for them as they left and hopefully as they come back to each clinic 
and feel the love of Christ they will open up to receive prayer and God into their hearts.  
I have so many thoughts and testimonies from this day that I will have to leave them for another post.  Thank you for your prayers as we press on toward that which God has grabbed hold of us for!
Because He Lives,
Joseph and Cheri LeBlanc